Numbers
by AgentKane
Summary: An Alias/Lost crossover. When the Covenant is after a Rambaldi artifact from one of Sydney's previous missions, the Joint Task Force finds something unexpected.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alias or any of the characters from the show**

ALIA**S**

**"Numbers"**

**Prologue**

**Previously on Alias...**

_(Siberia)_

Sydney: _"I found the music box."_

_(The music starts playing.)_

_(CIA prison cell)_

Irina: _"Every musical note has a corresponding frequency. Any piece of music can be expressed as a series of numbers. Sark is looking for a music box designed by Rambaldi. The box plays a unique tune. Encoded within the tune there's an equation."_

Sydney: _"For what?"_

Irina: _"Zero-point energy - a fuel source."_

_(Siberia)_

Vaughn _(voice-over)_: _"We've got the recording."_

_(Sydney sprays a corrosive substance on the music box, and it starts to quickly decay.)_

_(Hong Kong)_

Vaughn: _"You've been missing for almost two years."_

_(CIA Office)_

Dixon: _This is Lauren Reed. She's going to be our new liason to the National Security Council."_

Lauren: _"You should know...I'm also Michael Vaughn's wife."_

_(Hospital)_

Sydney: _Dixon, it's me. I'm at the Naval Hospital. There's a sniper. Lazarey's been shot; he's dead._

_(On the hospital rooftop)_

_(A gloved hand picks up the bullet shells and disassembles a sniper rifle. Lauren picks up the phone.)_

Lauren: _"The matter's been taken care of. Yes sir, I will."_

_(END OF RECAP)_

L**O**SANGELES

It was _supposed_ to be her day off. Lord knew how much she'd been through over the past few weeks. She had needed to take a break from this "spy crap", as she called it. Like always, however, she had been paged at the last minute to come into the office as soon as possible. Sydney Bristow was not happy.

"Morning, Sydney," said Lauren, with that fake smile she always seemed to put on whenever Sydney was near, as if Sydney was just another coworker, not the former lover of Lauren's husband.

"Good morning, Lauren," said Sydney, forcing herself to put on a sweet smile. "Any idea what's going on here?"

Lauren shook her head. "Director Dixon's been in his office since I got here. Talking with someone from the DSR about _something_ important. Rambaldi related, no doubt."

"Yeah," said Sydney, trying not to wince at the name _Rambaldi_. That name had caused her too much trouble, too much pain, over the years. _DSR...Special Research...now_ that_ was interesting_, thought Sydney. The DSR was a highly classified government agency investigating matters of fringe science, the occult, and, unsurprisingly, the works of 15th century visionary Milo Rambaldi.

The sound of footsteps came from behind her. Sydney turned around to see who it was. "Dad," said Sydney, acknowledging her father Jack Bristow.

"Good morning, Mr. Bristow," said Lauren, as she gathered up some papers in her arms.

Jack merely nodded. "Dixon wants to see us in his office. Apparently, it's a matter of importance."

_When is it not?_ thought Sydney dryly.

As Sydney, Jack, and Lauren entered the room to join Vaughn, Marshall, Weiss, and Dixon, Sydney was surprised to see Kendall, former Director of the Joint Task Force on Intelligence and an agent of the DSR. If Kendall was here, then whatever the reason for this meeting was, it_ was_ important.

Kendall nodded to acknowledge everyone in the room.

Dixon stood up to speak. "Director Kendall and I have been discussing an...interesting development," he said.

"Is it related to the Covenant?" asked Lauren.

"Yes, Ms. Reed, it is," said Dixon, nodding. "Approximately 23 hours ago Echelon intercepted a phone call made by Julian Sark to an unidentified Covenant operative." Dixon nodded at Marshall, who clumsily pressed a remote. The viewing screen in the room changed to show the image of a recording.

A man's voice came over the speakers. _"I thought you told me the box had been destroyed, Mr. Sark?"_

_"It was,"_ said Sark. _"However, I am confident that the CIA was not so incompetent as to keep no record of the equation the box held."_

The other man was silent for a moment. _"Do you know where the equation would be?"_

_"No. But it is only a matter of time before our friend finds out for us."_

_"Very well,"_ said the man. _"Proceed as planned. Keep me informed as you proceed."_

_"I will,"_ said Sark.

The recording ended. Sydney was puzzled. What were Sark and the Covenant man talking about?

"What exactly is this 'box' that they're talking about?" asked Vaughn, saying exactly what Sydney was thinking. Sometimes she thought Vaughn still cared for her.

"Do you remember a mission two years ago to recover a Rambaldi artifact in Siberia?" Kendall asked.

"The music box," said Sydney, nodding her head as she realized what this was all about. When Lauren looked at her, puzzled, she continued, "My mother told me that encoded within the melody the box played were numbers. An equation for zero-point energy."

"That's...not entirely _true_, Ms. Bristow," said Kendall.

"What?" asked Sydney, coming off a little ruder than she meant to. "What do you mean?"

"We _initially_ believed that the equation Rambaldi encoded in the music box was a formula for zero-point energy," said Kendall. "However, once the DSR analyzed the equation, we found something entirely different."

"What was the equation for, then?" asked Jack.

"We don't exactly know," Kendall replied.

"So then what makes this music box so important, if it's just...numbers?" asked Weiss.

Kendall laughed humorlessly to himself. "Funny you should say that. While we don't know what these..._numbers _mean, we do know that they are somehow very important to Rambaldi's prophecy."

"What were the numbers?" asked Lauren.

Kendall looked at Lauren. "Four. Eight. Fifteen. Sixteen. Twenty-three. Fourty-two."

AL**-**

**LOST**


	2. Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alias or Lost, or any of the characters from the shows.**

ALIA**S**

**"Numbers"**

**Part One**

**Previously on Alias...**

LAUREN _(to Sydney_): _"Director Dixon's been in his office since I got here. Talking with someone from the DSR about something important. Rambaldi related, no doubt."_

DIXON: _"Director Kendall and I have been discussing an...interesting development. Approximately twenty-three hours ago Echelon intercepted a phone call made by Julian Sark to an unidentified Covenant operative."_

COVENANT MAN _(voice-over)_: _"I thought you told me the box had been destroyed, Mr. Sark?"_

SARK _(voice-over)_: _"It was. However, I am confident that the CIA was not so incompetent as to keep no record of the equation the box held."_

COVENANT MAN: _"Do you know where the equation would be?"_

SARK: _"No. But it is only a matter of time before our friend finds out for us."_

VAUGHN: _"What exactly is this 'box' that they're talking about?"_

KENDALL: _"Do you remember a mission two years ago to recover a Rambaldi artifact in Siberia?"_

SYDNEY: _"The music box. My mother told me that encoded within the melody the box played were numbers. An equation for zero-point energy."_

KENDALL: _"We _initially_ believed that the equation Rambaldi encoded in the music box was a formula for zero-point energy. However, we found something entirely different. While we don't know what these_...numbers_ mean, we do know that they are somehow very important to Rambaldi's prophecy."_

LAUREN: _"What were the numbers?"_

KENDALL: _"Four. Eight. Fifteen. Sixteen. Twenty-three. And forty-two."_

_(END OF RECAP)_

"Do these numbers mean anything to you, Ms. Bristow?" asked Kendall, turning from Lauren to face Sydney.

"No, they don't," answered Sydney. "Why? Should they?"

"Director Kendall, what does this have anything to do with my daughter?" asked Jack.

"She _is_ Rambaldi's Chosen One, Jack," said Kendall. "Most of Rambaldi's prophecies have in some way involved her. It only seems logical to connect the numbers with her."

"I already told you, I don't know what these numbers are," Sydney said.

"Ms. Bristow, you're telling me that during your investigation into your 'missing' years, you didn't find _anything_ that might be somehow connected to these numbers?" Kendall continued to look at Sydney with that cold, emotionless look, the same look she had hated when she had worked for him.

"What?" Sydney exclaimed. "No, besides, you would know more about that than I would, right? I had to find out from you what happened during that time!"

Kendall looked taken aback by Sydney's outburst. "While that may be true, even I am not entirely aware of your activities during your time as Julia Thorne."

"Perhaps the numbers are connected with someone else," said Lauren.

"What are you suggesting?" asked Dixon, looking at Lauren curiously.

"Sydney said that most of the intel regarding the nature of the music box came from her mother," said Lauren, nodding to acknowledge Sydney. "Perhaps Derevko knew more about the true purpose of the box than she let on."

Dixon and Kendall both looked at Jack, who remained perfectly still.

"Even _if_ Irina knew about these numbers, there's no way to guarantee that she'll cooperate with us," said Jack. "During the time we were working together to find Sydney, we never even met in person."

"Still, you're the only one who knows how to contact her," Kendall said.

"Director Kendall, with all due respect, my mother has been off the grid for two years," Sydney said. "If she doesn't want to be found, she won't. And if she has no reason to share intel with us, she won't do that, either."

"Ms. Bristow, right now, your mother is the only lead we have on these numbers, so I suggest-"

"That's not true," said Sydney, as a sudden, triumphant realization came to her.

"Excuse me?" Kendall said, rude as ever.

"We have Sloane," Sydney replied. "Perhaps the one person who knows most about Rambaldi. I never thought I would say this, but, we need his help."

XXXXX

"Four, eight, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-three, forty-two."

"And the CIA has no idea what these numbers mean?" asked Sark.

"No," said Lauren, looking around the hall to make sure no one was seeing her or hearing her talk on the phone. Lowering her voice a bit, she continued, "The CIA is going to Sloane for help. If he knows what they mean, we'll know soon." Lauren paused. "Derevko never told you about the numbers?"

"No," said Sark. "Before she turned herself in to the CIA, she told me the box played an equation for zero-point energy."

"As far as I know, the CIA is holding off on looking for her," Lauren said. "We should use this to our advantage, get a head start on searching for Derevko. She might know what the numbers mean. You have no way to contact her?"

"My attempts to contact Irina through the old channels have proved futile," said Sark. "I'll contact Cole. He might know more about her whereabouts."

XXXXX

Sydney strode into the jail, nodding to the guard as he closed the barred door behind her.

Arvin Sloane, the man Sydney _despised_, sat in his cell, reading a book. It was a mystery to her why Sloane was still alive, after all he'd done. It was an even greater mystery why people _still_ trusted Sloane, after all his betrayals. Sloane stood up to see his visitor. "Sydney," he said, smiling. "What a pleasant surprise. If not a bit unexpected."

Sydney did not return the warmth. "The Covenant is interested in the equation from the Rambaldi music box," said Sydney.

"Ah, yes," said Sloane, still smiling. "I remember. The same box that I sent you to retrieve in Siberia. It played a formula for zero-point energy. You told me it had crumbled in your hands, but that wasn't true, wasn't it? You had destroyed it on behalf of the CIA." Sloane did not look the least bit angry. He seemed more like a parent, disappointed, but at the same time amused at the immature behavior of his child.

"The CIA was able to record the equation," Sydney went on. "But the DSR said it wasn't an equation for zero-point energy."

"What was it, then?" asked Sloane, his curiosity suddenly piqued.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Sydney said, careful to maintain her balanced composure and keep herself from strangling Sloane, who now stood within arm's reach of her. "The tune the box played translated to numbers. Four, eight, sixteen, twenty-three, forty-two."

Sloane paced around his cell, quietly repeating the numbers to himself, hand on his chin in thought.

"What do the numbers mean, Sloane?" Sydney asked impatiently.

"Forty-seven was Rambaldi's signature number," Sloane said. "Twenty-three is nearly half of forty-seven. Forty-two comes close, but not quite. Other than that, I can't contemplate what significance these numbers held to Rambaldi. There as much a mystery to me as they are to you."

"You must have some idea of their meaning," Sydney said.

"I'm sorry, Sydney, but I don't," Sloane said helplessly. "If I had access to the Project Black Hole archives, that would be a different story-"

"You're not going anywhere near the Rambaldi manuscripts," Sydney said curtly.

"Well, then," Sloane said, still smiling. "It appears I'm of no further use." He sat back down.

As Sydney turned to leave, Sloane called to her. "I've always considered you as my own daughter," he said. "There was a time where you were not so hateful to me. I miss that time."

Sydney had to fight to not go back and kill Sloane herself. "_Never_ talk about your love for me again," said Sydney through gritted teeth, without turning around. She left as soon as the guard opened the barred door.

Sloane could not help but smile, remembering something very similar that had been said to him by another woman, much like Sydney


	3. Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Alias or Lost.**

ALIA**S**

**"Numbers"**

**Part Two**

**Previously on Alias...**

_(CIA Prison)_

SYDNEY: _"The Covenant is interested in the equation from the Rambaldi music box."_

SLOANE: _"I remember. The same box I sent you to retrieve in Siberia. It played a formula for zero-point energy. You destroyed it on behalf of the CIA."_

SYDNEY: _"The CIA was able to record the equation. But the DSR said it wasn't an equation for zero-point energy."_

SLOANE: _"What was it, then?"_

SYDNEY: _"Numbers. Four, eight, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-three, forty-two. What do the numbers mean, Sloane?"_

SLOANE: _"They're as much a mystery to me as they are to you. If I had access to the Project Black Hole archives, that would be a different story."_

SYDNEY: _"You're not going anywhere near the Rambaldi manuscripts."_

SLOANE: _"Well, then, it appears I'm of no further use."_

_(CIA BRIEFING ROOM)_

KENDALL: _"Do these numbers mean anything to you, Ms. Bristow?"_

SYDNEY: _"No, they don't. Should they?"_

LAUREN: _"Perhaps the numbers are connected to someone else."_

DIXON: _"What are you suggesting?"_

LAUREN: _"Sydney said that most of the intel regarding the nature of the box came from her mother. Perhaps Derevko knew more about the true nature of the box than she let on."_

JACK: _"Even _if _Irina knew about these numbers, there's no way to guarantee that she'll cooperate with us."_

KENDALL: _"Still, you're the only one who knows how to contact her."_

SYDNEY: _"Director Kendall, with all due respect, my mother's been off the grid for two years. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't. And if she has no reason to share intel with us, she won't, either."_

KENDALL: _"Ms. Bristow, right now, your mother is the only lead we have on these numbers."_

_(HALLWAY)_

LAUREN_ (on the phone)_:_ "Four, eight, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-three, forty-two."_

SARK _(voice-over)_: _"And the CIA has no idea what these numbers mean?"_

LAUREN: _"No. Derevko never told you about the numbers?"_

SARK: _"No. She told me it was an equation for zero-point energy."_

LAUREN: _"We should get a head start on searching for Derevko. She might know what the numbers mean."_

_(END OF RECAP)_

**L**OS ANGELES

Sloane was awakened when the lights in his cell turned on. Eyes adjusting, he yawned, and sat up, focusing on the man in front of the cell bars.

"You're being moved," said Dixon, not attempting to hide his intense dislike for Sloane.

"Where?" Sloane asked.

"You don't need to know that," Dixon said. "But I'll tell you that you will be treated much less generously than you were here. Just as you deserve."

"Well may I ask _why_ I am being transferred?"

"You have refused to cooperate with us," Dixon said, not taking his eyes off of Sloane's, "so you are useless. Kendall has requested that you be transferred to DSR custody, to an off-the-books location." Dixon stressed the words _off the books_, glaring at Sloane as he said it.

Sloane laughed. "So that's it? You still think I'm lying, so you want to torture me into giving you what you want?"

"I have no authority over your handling," Dixon said. "If the decision was solely mine, you would be dead."

A guard opened the cell doors, and placed cuffs around Sloane's hands and legs. Sloane was escorted out of his cell, and through the cold, hard, rain into an awaiting van.

XXXXXXX

Sydney couldn't sleep. The numbers echoed in her mind. _Four. Eight. Fifteen. Sixteen. Twenty-three. Forty-two._ It was as if they had a hypnotic power, taking all other things off of her mind.

_Rambaldi_. The very name provoked a sense of hatred in Sydney. How many people had died because of the words of a madman? Rambaldi what what took two years of her life. Rambaldi was what drove Sloane, another man she despised. How many more people would die because of Rambaldi?

Were the numbers just numbers? After all, since when did she place credence with Rambaldi's prophecies? The numbers sounded like something a crackhead could've come up with. Why could she not get them off of her mind?

Closure. That was why she had become obsessed with the numbers, she concluded. She _needed_ to bring an end to this Rambaldi madness, before it claimed more lives. Yet every time in her life when she had been close to getting closure, something had stepped in and destroyed everything she had worked so hard to achieve. Rambaldi. The Covenant. Sloane. Though she did not believe in fate, if fate did exist, Sydney surmised that it was hers to never have peace in her life.

Her cellphone rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. Sydney groaned inside. It was her father, which probably meant that the call was work-related.

"Hello?" she said, picking up the phone.

"Sydney," came the no-nonsense, straight-to-business voice of her father, Jack, "you need to come to the office as soon as possible. There's been an incident."

"What?" now Sydney was worried. Had people been hurt? "What happened?"

"I can't tell you over the phone," Jack said. "You need to come to the office," he repeated.

XXXXXXX

An hour later, Sydney had arrived at the office of the Joint Task Force on Intelligence. "I came as soon as I could. What happened?"

Jack finished talking to whoever was on the other end of the phone and hung up. "Director Kendall had Sloane transferred to DSR custody earlier tonight," Jack said. "The convoy transporting Sloane never made it to the DSR facility. We think there's been a breach here at the Joint Task Force."

"What's going to happen?" asked Sydney. A mole within the Joint Task Force was a very bad thing. It might mean that every one of the Joint Task Force's activities had been compromised.

"Langley's sending someone to look into the matter," said Jack. "Officially, Dixon's still in charge of this division. In practice, though, Dixon's powerless. Every activity of this field office is subject to supervision from whatever bureaucrat Langley sends to deal with us, until the investigation is wrapped up."

"Do you have any idea who's responsible for the leak?" Sydney asked.

Jack looked Sydney grimly in the face. "Yes, I do," he said.

XXXXXXX

"Mr. Sloane," said the voice of a young British man, as the bag over Sloane's head was removed. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

Sloane smirked. "Likewise, Julian."

Sark smiled. Walking over to a table in the dark, bare, concrete room, Sark retrieved a tall glass of red wine. "My favorite," said Sark, pouring two glasses. Sark walked back to Sloane and offered him a glass.

Sloane nodded. "That would be nice, thank you," he said.

Sark lifted the glass to Sloane's lips, gently pouring the wine into his mouth. As Sloane satisfactorily smacked his lips, Sark placed the glass on the ground, and took a sip from his own glass. "I recall a time when we were in a similar situation, only our roles were reversed," Sark said.

"That was a long time ago, Julian," Sloane said.

"Yes, it was, Mr. Sloane," said Sark, still smiling. "And I have changed much since that time. However, there are a lot of things I remember from 'a long time ago'."

"Ah," Sloane said, grinning. "What is it you want?"

"Two years ago, a Rambaldi artifact was retrieved from Siberia," said Sark. "The artifact was a music box. The box played a tune, encoded in which were numbers. Tell me, Sloane, what is the significance of those numbers."

Sloane smirked again. "I'm afraid you're wasting your time, Julian. That box was destroyed before I was able to get my hands on it."

"But I am sure the CIA shared with you their findings," Sark said, staring Sloane in the eyes.

Sloane stared Sark back, then appeared to relent. "Yes, they did," Sloane said. "But I have no idea what those numbers mean. You follow the path of Rambaldi as long as I have, you realize that much of his work is sheer folly, wild goose chases."

Sark laughed, and looked away, as if he was restraining himself. "Well then," Sark said, "perhaps you could be so _kind_ as to inform me how to find Irina Derevko."

"I'm sorry," Sloane said, shaking his head slowly, "all of my efforts to find Irina in the past two years have been in vain. She appears to have dropped off the grid."

"We know about Il Dire, Sloane," said Sark. "What it produced."

"What it produced was a name, Julian," Sloane said, "nothing more."

"A name that just so happens to be the name of the woman I'm looking for," Sark said, his tone of voice becoming more dangerous.

"I already told you, I can't help you," replied Sloane.

Sark stood up from his stool, circling around Sloane. Sark turned back to face Sloane, and delivered him a blow to the face. "How about you think about that again?"

As Sloane's eyes regained focus, and Sloane turned his head to face Sark again, the walkie talkie in Sark's pocket beeped. Sark moved to the corner of the room, where Sloane couldn't hear him, and spoke into the walkie talkie. He appeared to be frustrated for a moment, and then set the walkie down. "I'll give you a few more minutes to evaluate your position here," Sark said. He then left through the door, apparently in a hurry.

A few minutes later, Sloane heard gunshots outside, and then a thump against the wall. The door to the room was kicked open, and a women armed with two handguns entered the room.

Sloane almost gasped from shock. The woman strode over to free him from his restraints.

"Irina," he said, still in shock.

"We must hurry," Irina Derevko said, as she broke Sloane's cuffs. "There's a helicopter on the roof, but it'll only be up there for a minute. We have to get up there before Sark andthe Covenant get to it."

As Sloane got up from his chair, he asked, "Why have you come here?"

Irina looked Sloane in the eyes. "Because I need you," Irina said. "I assume you are smart enough to know why." Irina ran to the door, and glanced out of the room. "Come on, let's go," she said.

XXXXXXX

A/N: Please review as much as possible, it is much appreciated and encourages me to move forward. I personally like where the story is going (well, I'm really the only person who _knows_ where it's going, but that's besides the point), but tell me if I'm doing anything wrong. Do you like it? What would you like to see next? Once again, reviews are much appreciated, and thank you to those who have already reviewed. I know my chapters are really short, but I feel it builds up the suspense, without making the chapters long and boring. Tell me what you think!

Now, for review responses:

gymkidz2000: Kate will appear, but the beginning of the story will concentrate around our favorite Alias characters. Don't worry, though, I will get to our favorite plane crash survivors soon enough!

And please "stay tuned" for the next installment!


	4. Part 3

**A/N: **I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter. Did you all not like it? This chapter's a little longer, but not too much happens. It will set the stage for things to come, though, and it will make the connection I have hinted at more clear. Please read and review, though! Without reviews, I don't know that you all are reading. And reviews really do help me find out what I am doing wrong. Plus, I really really really want to know what you all are thinking of my story so far. So please, REVIEW! Thanks. )

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost or Alias.**

ALIA**S**

**"Numbers"**

**Part Three**

**Previously on Alias...**

_(CIA PRISON)_

SYDNEY: _"The Covenant is interested in the equation from the Rambaldi music box."_

SLOANE: _"I remember. The same box I sent you to retrieve in Siberia. It played a formula for zero-point energy. You destroyed it on behalf of the CIA."_

SYDNEY: _"The CIA was able to record the equation. But the DSR said it wasn't an equation for zero-point energy."_

SLOANE: _"What was it, then?"_

SYDNEY: _"Numbers. Four, eight, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-three, forty-two. What do the numbers mean, Sloane?"_

SLOANE: _"They're as much a mystery to me as they are to you."_

_(CIA PRISON - LATER)_

DIXON: _"You're being moved."_

SLOANE: _"Where?"_

DIXON: _"Kendall has requested that you be transferred to DSR custody, to an off-the-books location."_

_(CIA OFFICE)_

JACK: _"Director Kendall had Sloane transferred to DSR custody earlier tonight. The convoy transporting Sloane never made it to the DSR facility. We think there's been a breach here at the Joint Task Force."_

SYDNEY: _"What's going to happen?"_

JACK: _"Langley's sending someone to look into the matter. Every activity of this field office is subject to the supervision of whatever bureaucrat Langley sends to deal with us, until the investigation is wrapped up."_

SYDNEY: _"Do you have any idea who's responsible for the leak?"_

JACK: _"Yes, I do."_

_(COVENANT FACILITY)_

SARK: _"Two years ago, a Rambaldi artifact was retrieved from Siberia. The artifact was a music box. The box played a tune, encoded in which were numbers. Tell me, Sloane, what is the significance of those numbers?"_

SLOANE: _"I am afraid you're wasting your time, Julian. That box was destroyed before I was able to get my hands on it."_

SARK: _"But I am sure the CIA shared with you their findings."_

SLOANE: _"Yes, they did. But I have no idea what those numbers mean."_

SARK: _"Well then, perhaps you could be so _kind _as to inform me how to find Irina Derevko."_

SLOANE: _"I'm sorry, all of my efforts to find Irina in the past two years have been in vain."_

_(SARK hits SLOANE in the face.)_

SARK: _"I'll give you a few more minutes to evaluate your position here."_

_(SARK leaves.)_

_(Gunshots are heard. The door to the room is kicked down.)_

IRINA: _"We must hurry. There's a helicopter on the roof. We have to get up there before Sark and the Covenant get to it."_

SLOANE: _"Why have you come here?"_

IRINA: _"Because I need you. I assume you're smart enough to know why."_

_(END OF RECAP)_

L**O**S ANGELES

Sydney looked at Weiss as she entered the briefing room. Dixon had been busy talking with the woman from Langley for almost an hour since Sydney had arrived. Weiss exchanged a wary glance with Sydney, the kind what might give before going through something very unpleasant.

The Joint Task Force had already had its fair share of Washington and Langley bureaucrats getting in the way of things. _Lindsey, Yeager..._Sydney thought.

"Good morning," Dixon said, as Sydney, Weiss, Marshall, Carrie, Lauren, Vaughn, and Jack all took their seats. "As you are aware, Arvin Sloane is once again at large. En route to a DSR facility, his convoy was ambushed. We believe that the Covenant is responsible." Dixon stepped back to allow the woman next to him to introduce herself.

"My name is Alyssa Cole," the woman said, in a polite but detached manner. "I've been assigned by Langley to investigate the breach at this field office. I hope you will understand that during the course of this investigation, certain personal freedoms must be given up temporarily in order for us to do a thorough and accurate job of tracing the leak to its source."

"No relation to McKenas..." Marshall said, before shrinking back as Alyssa gave him a barely concealed look of annoyance. "...I assume...I should really just let you get back to what you were doing..."

Sydney had to contain the impulse to vomit. She had seen these types too many times, both at the CIA and SD-6. The ones who actually worked for the government were usually only slightly better than the likes of Karl Dreyer and Ariana Kane.

"Wait," Vaughn said, "you believe one of us is the source of the leak?"

Alyssa looked at Vaughn with a curious expression. "At this moment, everyone in this field office is a suspect, Agent..."

"Vaughn," he replied.

Alyssa smiled, as she took a notepad and scribbled something down on it.

"Agent Cole, with all due respect," Weiss spoke up, "we've already traced a previous leak to Sloane. Do you really think there is another mole here? I mean, the evidence is there, but isn't it possible that the Covenant has known where Sloane is this entire time? Like, they had a tracking device planted on him or something?"

"That is certainly a possibility," Alyssa said, "Agent..."

"Weiss," he supplied.

"Yes, Agent Weiss," Alyssa continued, "that is a possibility. However, we shouldn't throw out any possibilities at this time. It is also possible that Sloane was not the only mole the Covenant had here."

"Or that he was framed," Jack said.

Alyssa smiled. "You must be Jack Bristow. You're reputation precedes you."

"Thank you," Jack said, without a hint of gratitude in his voice.

"Now, Agent Bristow, why do you say that Sloane could have been framed?" Alyssa asked, as she leaned over her notepad.

"During the time he was in our custody, he repeatedly denied his involvement in the Sark leak," said Jack. "Furthermore...I have known Sloane for almost thirty years, Agent Cole. Throughout the time I have known him, I have never known him to be sloppy in covering his tracks. If he was involved in the previous leak, he would have taken much greater steps to conceal his involvement than those that were apparently taken. In retrospect, the evidence that led to his arrest too conveniently pointed to him."

Alyssa was now furiously scribbling down notes on her paper. "Agent Bristow," she said, looking up, "why is it that you did not speak up about this when Sloane was first implicated?"

"Perhaps I was too ready to believe that the man who had betrayed both me and my daughter so many times before had betrayed us yet again," Jack said, looking Alyssa straight in the face. "There had been no evidence prior to the incident of any real loyalties of the Covenant, and that, in and of itself, made me suspicious. Sloane is not the type to lay idle."

"Interesting," Alyssa said, as she wrote down yet another note and then tore off the paper to use another sheet.

"Agent Cole, do we have any idea where Sloane is now?" Sydney asked. "It's Sydney Bristow," she added.

Alyssa looked from Jack to Sydney. "So far, we haven't been able to turn up anything of value. However, ECHELON has been provided with all known voice recordings of him, as well as known aliases and similar information about known associates. We're doing the best we can to find him."

A few minutes later, the meeting was over. Agent Cole told them all that she would be calling each of them in for questioning later, and then they all left.

XXXXXXX

"What?" Lauren exclaimed over the phone, trying not to talk too loud so that no one would here her.

"Derevko was here," said Sark over the phone. "Sloane is gone."

"Well that's bloody fantastic," said Lauren. She would have strangled Sark if he was in front of her. "What will you do now?"

"Your mother has already taken care of informing headquarters of this setback," he said. "Until then, we'll have to wait and see what our contacts turn up. Tell me, is the CIA working to find Sloane as well?"

"Yes," Lauren said. "They've tasked ECHELON and provided it with everything they have on him."

"Excellent. Do your best to gain access to their efforts," said Sark.

"Sark," she said, and her tone became more distressed. "I may require an extraction soon. Langley's sent someone to investigate the leak, and sooner or later, the evidence will point to me."

Sark was silent. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, love," he said. "Until then, as long as it appears that your not hampering their efforts to find Sloane, they won't identify you as a potential mole."

XXXXXXX

Sydney stepped out of her car at the oil wells. She couldn't remember how many times she had made secret rendezvous here, away from the watchful eyes of SD-6.

"Thank you for coming at such short notice," her father said.

"What is it you needed to tell me? Who do you think's responsible for the leak?" Sydney asked.

"Did you notice that Ms. Reed was quiet during the briefing this morning?" Jack said.

"What? Dad, no-" she said. Much as she despised Lauren, she couldn't see her as an enemy agent. Didn't Vaughn trust her? Shouldn't that have been enough to confirm her innocence?

"During one of your first missions back," he continued, "it was Lauren who was frustrated that the blueprints for the Medusa anti-satellite weapon had been lost. Why would the United States government want anti-satellite weapon schematics if they had been denied to the enemy anyway?"

"Dad-"

"When Sark was to be transferred to our custody, did it not strike you as strange that she was concerned for the way he would be treated?"

"Dad, you're forgetting that she helped me escape Lindsey. If she was Covenant, why would she want to help me?"

"After you escaped NSC custody, the Covenant planted a series of clues that they hoped would lead you to the Rambaldi DNA cube." Jack looked Sydney firmly in the eyes, with his most serious expression. "Lauren helped you escape because the Covenant still needed you to find the Rambaldi artifact for them."

"Dad, it could all be a coincidence-"

"Here's a coincidence," Jack said, becoming more annoyed. "The black box from Sark's plane recorded him talking with his Covenant partner. He said to his partner, 'Not if I see you first, love.' After you exchanged the Rambaldi box for Dixon's daughter, I overheard Lauren saying these same words to Vaughn."

"Dad, do you really think that Sark invented those words? Like I said, it's just a coincidence," Sydney said. However, she was beginning to feel that Lauren _was_, in fact, the mole. But she was not so sure whether it was her jealousy or any real gut feeling that was making her feel this way.

"Sydney, stop being so stubborn!" Jack said. "I was married to your mother for ten years. After her betrayal, I saw every little action she did while she was hiding her work from me for what it was. Lauren has been using those same tricks on Vaughn, as well as the rest of us."

"If you're so concerned, why haven't you gone to Agent Cole with this?" she asked.

"Because Lauren is NSC. She has access to higher level resources than we do. Lauren is also very good at covering her tracks. Do you really think Agent Cole would believe me any more than you do?"

Sydney sighed. She was torn between wanting to believe her father, for so many reasons, and wanting to believe that Lauren was innocent, despite all that she had done to take Vaughn away from Sydney. Perhaps Sydney felt so out of a desire to protect Vaughn from the betrayal that had changed her father so much.

"We should go to Dixon with this," she said.

**U**LAN BATOR

In the midst of a city in the process of rapid modernization, a worn but sturdy looking yurt, the kind of tent the nomads who wandered the steppes used, stood amongst others of its kind in an open field surrounding by the concrete buildings of the modern age.

Outside of this particular yurt, a Mongolian man, dressed in a traditional coat and cap to protect him from the fierce, cold wind, sat next to the entrance, an old Soviet AK-47 cradled in his arms as he smoked a cigarette.

Within the yurt, a man and a woman were talking. Both were not from here, as evidenced by their physical features and the way they talked.

"The Passenger," Irina said. "What do you know about it?"

"You mean our daughter?" Sloane replied. "That Rambaldi prophesied that she would serve as a direct conduit to him, that she is the key to his endgame."

"Then you know about how she will lead to Rambaldi," Irina said, handing Sloane a bowl of hot soup.

"Yes," Sloane said, gratefully taking the soup in both hands. "Tell me, Irina, what do the numbers mean? Four, eight, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-three, forty-two?"

Irina returned with another bowl of soup for herself. "I don't know," she said. "I found them written on the side of a page of one of Rambaldi's manuscripts. Perhaps they have nothing to do with his endgame. Or perhaps they are somehow connected to the Passenger."

"Rambaldi," Sloane said, after taking a sip of broth. "What does that even mean? _How_ will she lead us to Rambaldi?"

"I don't know," Irina said. "But we have to find her. Before the Covenant, before the CIA do."

"Yes," Sloane said. "You have no idea at all what she will lead us to?"

"The same manuscript I found those numbers written in spoke of a place," Irina said. "Rambaldi described it as a 'special' place. A place where his followers would be safe from the forces of the passage of time."

Sloane grinned. "Rambaldi's endgame, then," he said. "His life's work: immortality."

ALIA**S**


End file.
